Who Visits Whom? Hosting and Visiting Reciprocity among Parents and Their Adult Children

Ori Rubin, University of Groningen
Clara H. Mulder, University of Groningen

In this paper we address the question: to what extent do family network configuration, household mobility, and family and personal needs influence relative frequency of visiting and hosting among parents and their adult children (visiting reciprocity)? We define relative frequency as the ratio of the frequency adult children visit their parents and the frequency of hosting them. We use data from the Netherlands on family networks and regression analysis to investigate which side of the intergenerational dyad travels (more) for face-to-face (F2F) contact. Results suggest that individuals who have siblings and those who have siblings that live close to the parents travel relatively more. Furthermore, young adults, grandparents and those who provide instrumental support travel more. The research highlights the need to understand intergenerational F2F contact not only as defined by contact frequency but also by how this contact is organized in terms of hosting and visiting.